Apple warns that eligibility for alternative app marketplaces may be revoked if a user travels outside the EU.

apple Added support for alternative app marketplaces on iPhone devices with iOS 17.4 updateAfter a long wait. However, it has now released a supporting document that explains the nuances around feature eligibility. Intriguingly, the Cupertino-based tech company said it could block access to marketplaces if a user travels outside of those countries and regions. United Europe (EU) for a long period of time. Pre-installed apps will also not be updated until the user is back in the EU.

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) went into effect on March 6, and according to the guidelines, Apple now allows users to download third-party marketplaces. iPhone And install apps through them. These apps will not need to pay any listing fees or use the tech dev’s payment processing system and incur additional charges. However, he has published one Long post Highlighting the eligibility criteria for users to take advantage of this feature, and highlighting the factors that make it not work.

According to the guidelines issued by the iPhone manufacturer, the user’s country or region Apple ID Must be set to one of the EU countries or regions. Additionally, the user must be physically located in the region. The company will monitor that both standards are met through on-device processing and claims it will not collect device location. If a user leaves the EU for an extended period of time, they will lose access to certain features including the ability to install new alternative marketplaces and update pre-installed third-party apps. However, apps will continue to work. The tech giant also added that it will offer a grace period for customers who travel outside of Europe for a short period of time, although it did not specify what constitutes short-term and long-term travel.

The post also clarified the list of eligible countries and regions for the alternative app marketplace. These are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, are Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Further, Apple has also said that it will not provide customer support if users face problems in alternative app marketplaces. Privacy and security issues, including scams, fraud and abuse, will not be addressed by the Company. Notably, there are no third-party app marketplaces available for iOS at the time of this writing.